Coordinated light and sound displays using outdoor lighting are known in commercial applications. For example, hotels and shopping malls may have installed lighting in fountains or spotlighting distinctive features, which can change color along with music. Such lighting systems are very expensive and difficult to install and maintain, and are not suitable for use in a domestic setting, such as in the yard or garden of a home.
It is also known to use fiber-optic cables for underwater lighting, which can be used to provide changing lighting colors in a domestic swimming pool, but fiber-optic lighting is expensive and difficult to install, and is not suitable for the retrofitting of existing pools. Additionally, the fiber-optic light fixtures are not as bright as traditional incandescent light fixtures, and are therefore not well used in pool and other underwater lighting applications.
In contrast to traditional light sources, solid state lighting, such as light emitting diode (“LED”) fixtures, are more efficient at generating visible light than many traditional light sources. However, single LED lights are typically not bright enough for illuminating objects or for use in pool and other underwater lighting. In order to use LEDs for illumination, a cluster of LED fixtures must be provided. Although LEDs do not generally radiate heat in the direction of the beam of light produced, implementation of LEDs for many traditional light source applications has been hindered by the amount of heat build-up within the electronic circuits of the LEDs. This heat build-up is particularly problematic as more LEDs are added to a cluster. Heat build-up reduces LED light output, shortens lifespan and can eventually cause the LEDs to fail. It has therefore been problematic to use LED lights to provide light and sound displays in an outdoor setting.
LED light engines have recently become available, which supply multiple LED lights in an array. The light engines make it possible to provide a high lumen light using LEDs, and it is desirable to use such light engines in swimming pool, spa and other underwater lighting. However, the management of heat generated by the light engines is critical to maintaining the performance of the LED array, and the use of such LED light engines in different applications has not so far been achieved.
It is desirable to provide both light fixtures, such as spotlights, flood lights and pool lights, using LED light engines, and also to provide methods and systems for controlling multiple LED light fixtures to provide coordinated light and sound displays.